The poor (Matt 5:3)

Matthew 5:3  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 


Luke 6:20  "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes how his community of believers will live - what their attitudes and actions will be. He starts by raising the status of the poor - those poor in spirit (in Matthew) and those just plain poor (in Luke) - to members of his kingdom.

The poor were looked down on - still are today.  We tend to believe that the reason they are poor is that they have done something wrong and God is punishing them.  We see them as a burden to society.  We leave them behind as we fend for our needs and luxuries.  But Jesus says - they belong to his kingdom.  They are full members.  It is for them!

Followers of Jesus are called to live with this attitude.  Not one that condemns or judges the spiritually or physically poor, but one that blesses the poor.  We work for justice, offer compassion.  We offer the good news that the way of Jesus overcomes all kinds of poverty.   And we recognize that we are each poor in some way.  We live in gratitude that Jesus offers us a new way of living - one where all kinds of poverty is overcome!

Do you recognize your own poverty?  Do you recognize that Jesus overcomes it by teaching us to live in his abundance?  Do you bless the poor by the way you live?

Creating a space to talk (Luke 6:17-19)

In the scripture today, we are told what Jesus has been doing to prepare to preach his most famous sermon, "The Sermon on the Mount."  He doesn't seem to have spent any time perfecting a manuscript.  Instead he has spent time earning the trust of the people. He shows compassion, heals, and casts out demons.  So when Jesus speaks, people are ready to hear what he has to say.

Our words are probably most effective when they are preceded by letting people get to know us.  And that takes time.

Recently we were walking our Great Dane.  A little boy - no more than 7 or 8 came running up to pet her.  She is fiercely protective of me so she leaned against me and growled at him.  My husband said, "I am sorry, she isn't friendly."  The boy was stunned, but not the least bit afraid. He said, "What is going on with that?"  It made me wonder if his parents were psychologists or something.  Before I could say anything, he said, "Oh... you have to spend some time with her so she feels safe and then she will be your forever friend."  Again, before I could say anything, he ran back to play with his sisters.  Odd little kid, but he was right.  Our Great Dane isn't going to trust you until she gets to know you.

Jesus knew this about us too and so he started his ministry with very little teaching and mostly demonstrating his love and power to heal and cast out demons.  So... perhaps we need to be willing to spend a lot of time up front showing the world that we authentically love them before what we say has much meaning.

Luke 6:17-19  17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.  18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.  19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.  


Matthew 4:24 - 5:2   24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.  25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.  5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  2 Then he began to speak, and taught them...


Mark 3:7-13   7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him;  8 hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.  9 He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him;  10 for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.  11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, "You are the Son of God!"  12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.  13 He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 

Purpose of Discipleship (Mark 3:14-15)

Matthew and Mark elaborate on what Jesus appointed his disciples to do:

Matthew 10:1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.

Mark 3:14-15 14 And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, 15 and to have authority to cast out demons.

The disciple's purpose was to:

• have authority over unclean spirits and cast them out

• to cure every disease and sickness

• to be with Jesus

• to proclaim Jesus' message

How is that for a job description?  Sobering.  How well would your performance evaltuaion go?  Did you know we have this authority and directive too?  What if we believed it and took it seriously? 

Jesus is praying for us (Luke 6:12-16)

Dr. Luke is unique in his account of Jesus' appointing of the disciples in that he tells us what Jesus did in preparation:

Luke 6:12-13 ¹² Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them...

Jesus spends the night talking with the rest of the trinity before he makes this incredibly important announcement of who would be his closest students and helpers.  And he is God.  How many important decisions do we make without even speaking to God?  But Jesus prays all night. 

He knew that these men would be excited to take the job.  They didn't understand where it would lead - the pain and suffering they would endure - or how they would be killed in action.  He knew each one's weaknesses and the stuff they would have to overcome.  He knew what they would be giving up at home to travel with him.  I am sure his time was spent praying for each one of them and their particular struggles and needs.  In fact, scripture (Hebrews 7:25) tells us that Jesus is praying for us today - just as he prayed for the disciples then. He sits next to God - asking God for the things we need to serve him and to be whole.

How is Jesus praying for you today? 

Do you believe in demons? (Luke 6:17-19)

Luke 6:17-19 ¹⁷ Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Luke was a medical doctor and the author of this gospel.   And in these verses he differentiates between those with physical diseases and those with unclean spirits.  He certainly believed in what was commonly called demons or unclean spirits.  The companion passages in the other gospels tell a similar story:

Matthew 4:24-25 ²⁴ So Jesus' fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. ²⁵ And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Mark 3:7-12 ⁷ Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; ⁸ hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. ⁹ He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; ¹⁰ for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, "You are the Son of God!" ¹² But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

You know, in seminary they didn't teach us about demons.  Or about how to cast them out.  In fact, they didn't teach us how to heal either.  When I was interning at children's hospital, I asked our chaplain-instructor why they were only teaching us how to comfort people rather than heal them?  I don't think anyone had asked him that recently.  He laughed for a second.  Then said, "Hmm... how would you teach a class in healing?"  I have no idea.  Yet, it was a huge part of Jesus' ministry.  And he said it would be part of our lives as his followers too.

Many have reasoned that unclean spirits were nothing more than mental illnesses.  Yet, these demons talked to Jesus everywhere he encountered him.  They knew who he was - called him by name.  This isn't symptomatic of a mental illness - maybe mass hysteria - but the people he healed had often had the unclean spirit for years before Jesus was well known. 

Do you believe in demons?  I guess the good news is that whatever they are and were, Jesus has power over them.  He gave his followers power over them too. 

Anger and grief (Mark 3:1-6)

Jesus is headed to the synagogue on the Sabbath and he is being set up.  Walking right into a trap!  It would appear that a man has been positioned there with a withered hand.  The Pharisees hope Jesus will heal him by breaking the Sabbath laws so they can prosecute him.  How easy it would have been for Jesus to ignore the man. The man doesn't come over to Jesus.  He doesn't ask for healing.  The man was likely in on the plot.  He demonstrates no faith - no desire to be healed - no recognition of Jesus as Messiah.  Nothing!  Why doesn't Jesus just walk on by?  Why doesn't he keep the peace?

But Jesus doesn't.  He heals him.  And yet, there is no mention of the man being grateful or thankful.  He doesn't testify to Jesus' great power and compassion.  He doesn't try to stop those who want to hurt Jesus.  Instead those lying in wait for Jesus rush off to try to figure out a way to destroy Jesus' ministry.

At Warren Wilson College's graduation ceremony last year, the commencement speaker challenged the students to go change the world despite the fact that the world would be indifferent and even hostile to their efforts.  The people in the synagogue that morning care little that Jesus is capable of transforming their world.  If he isn't going to do it their way - by their rules - then forget him.  He might as well be dead.  So they set out to get rid of him.

Jesus responds to their actions with anger and grief.  It hurts to love someone who doesn't understand the depth to which you care for them.  Jesus loved the man with the withered hand.  He love the Pharisees that demanded Jesus do things their way.  And they felt nothing but hate toward Jesus because he was taking away the need for following their rules - their power over others.  Do we make Jesus play by our rules or are we willing to let him love us the way he wants to love us?  How would it change your life if you opened it to letting Jesus do things his way?

Mark 3:1-6 Again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come forward." 4 Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5 He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

**** Other Gospels...


Luke 6:6-11 ⁶ On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. ⁸ Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come and stand here." He got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?" ¹⁰ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Matthew 12:9-14 ⁹ He left that place and entered their synagogue; ¹⁰ a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him. ¹¹ He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath." ¹³ Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

The Lord Over Status Quo? (Mark 2:23-28)

Dr. Shirely Gutherie, who had been one of my professors, died while I was still in seminary.  He was a renowned Presbyterian theologian and someone who I really respected.  Afterwards, I heard the president of Columbia, Dr. Laura Mendenhall, tell of something that happened a day or so before Dr. Gutherie passed on.  He had become bedridden in his very last days and during her visit that day, she sat next to him reading scripture to him.  She wasn't sure he was aware of what was happening.  But then he spoke out saying to her, "So many of the things I thought were important to God, weren't." This is a man who lived his life intentionally for Jesus - an good example to the rest of us.  And yet, even he saw things that he had placed importance on that weren't important in the grand scheme of things.

Mark 2:23-28 ²³ And it came about that Jesus was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees were saying to Him, "See here, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" ²⁵ And He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and became hungry, he and his companions: ²⁶ how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he gave it also to those who were with him?" ²⁷ And He was saying to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ "Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

The Pharisees had lost track of what is important to God.  Human need  is important to God.  It takes a higher priority than rule keeping, tradition, law, personal preference, etc.  When we put these trappings of religion ahead of human need, we aren't really being who God wants us to be. 

What human need might we be overlooking in our striving to follow God?  How can we look beyond the trappings of "being good Christian people" and see how God really wants us to act and behave?  This isn't easy - sometimes it means bucking what we've learned and assumed was most important to God - and then taking on what is truly important.